


Turn And Face the Strange (Changes)

by big_slug



Series: Montauk: Beyond Hawkins [9]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Break Up, Cheating, Heartbreak, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26302855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/big_slug/pseuds/big_slug
Summary: Maybe the line is dead, Will thinks. Will hopes. But the dial tone rings in his ear, so his shaking hand dials the number he knows by heart.You should read the first work in the series to fully understand.
Relationships: Will Byers/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Montauk: Beyond Hawkins [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464226
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Turn And Face the Strange (Changes)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm... I'm awfully sorry for this. But I swear, if you bear with me, this will just be the start of a new story arc.

**March 1990**

If there was any doubt at all that today is going to be one of the worst days in Will Byers‘ life, the onset of the first thunderstorm of the year must be taken as the final sign that he will cry himself to sleep tonight. A confession is due, and Will is _so_ ashamed of it. He is an idiot. Disgusting. Weak. And there is the telephone, beige ABS plastic looking pale in the light that is filtered gray through the clouds above the city.

Thunder crashes, not low and rumbling like it would if it was somewhere in the distance. It sounds sharp, as though someone had just thrown a drawer full of silverware on the ground. _Maybe the line is dead,_ Will thinks. Will hopes. But the dial tone rings in his ear, so his shaking hand dials the number he knows by heart.

Pain is thrumming through his entire nervous system. _„Hello?“_ the familiar voice says on the other end of the line.

„Hi.“ Will says quietly. „Hi, Ady, it‘s me...“

„ _Will? Hey, is everything okay? You don‘t sound so good.“_ There is this adorable sense of worry to Adrian‘s voice. Will hates himself for the way he is going to shatter all that.

„No, I‘m not... sick or anything. I just wanted to-“ _Hear your voice? Break your heart?_ What does Will want? He wants to crawl under his blanket and hide. „There‘s something I have to tell you.“

„ _Okay. W-What is it?“_

If Will was half the man he would like to be, he would just say it. He‘d come clean. But he is a coward - a coward with the need to justify himself. „It‘s about us and... and this whole long-distance thing, and... Ady, I never meant to... it‘s just so hard when we can‘t see each other... it happened before I could even think... I know I can never fix-“

„ _Will?“_ Adrian says flatly. He knows. The tone of his voice betrays him. _„Please just tell me.“_

Will feels as though he could squish the phone in his hand any second now. But he gets the words out, and the tension leaves him. „I cheated. Ady, I- I slept with a guy.“ After that, his body is limp. But the pain is still there, in every bone and every joint. When nothing happens for a painfully long time, he whispers into the phone „A-Are you still there?“

Adrian takes another few seconds to answer, during which Will thinks the line must have disconnected. _„I‘m here. Yeah, I‘m... I‘m here. So... Canadian men. Are they big, like-“_

„Please don‘t do this.“ There are now fresh tears picking on Will‘s eyes, and they soon spill over. „It‘s okay if you hate me now, but please don‘t make fun of me.“

„ _No, you‘re right, that‘s not who I am. Are you gonna tell me his name?“_

„Yeah, but... don‘t laugh, okay? It‘s Ike.“

Adrian coughs, and with every word he speaks he seems to be getting more tired. _„Why would I laugh. Do you like him? I mean, do you think you want to keep seeing him, or was this just a one-night stand?“_

„I can‘t tell you that, I mean-“ Will has to think of Ike, even if he doesn‘t want to right now. Pale gray eyes, dark hair that shows a shimmer of red in the right light. An equally dark stubble on his chin. And his arms. These strong arms that wrapped around lonely Will Byers, the pathetic kid who couldn‘t even stand eight months alone in the big city before he had to break his boyfriend‘s heart. „Coming here was a mistake.“

„ _Will, listen, I-“_ Adrian breaks off, sniffs, but then continues in a stronger voice _„I‘m not so innocent either. I've been checking out guys left and right. And I wanted to talk to you about us for weeks. But didn‘t we both go where we had to go?“_

„You wanted to talk about _us_?“

„ _You‘re not the only one who gets lonely. And it‘s only been eight months so-“_

Will swallows thickly. He knows what‘s coming now, and in a way he never thought today would lead to any other outcome. „So it‘s time to face the facts, huh? We can‘t maintain a long-distance relationship.“

„ _No.“_ Adrian says softly. _„It‘d just get more difficult with every day. D-Do I have to be the first one to say it? We‘re breaking up.“_

In all the five years they had together, Will had never thought about the possibility. Although he always knew that high school relationships usually don‘t survive college. Would they have lasted longer if he hadn‘t decided that Toronto is the place for him? But whatever is done is done, and Will presses the phone into his sweater so Adrian doesn‘t hear him sob.

„Do you think-“ Will croaks once he has himself under control again. „Do you think it was all just because we were the only gay kids in town? Did we even have a choice?“

„ _I think we had more time than most other high school couples. Good memories, huh? Let‘s keep them. Look, in the movies they always say stuff like ‚we‘ll stay friends‘, but then secretly despise each other. Let‘s not become like that, yeah?“_

„If you think you can stand seeing my cheating face?“ Will sighs. „I guess my mom would be glad to have you over for dinner every once in a while.“

Adrian laughs weakly. _„I do love your mom. And maybe you‘ll pay my uncle a pity-visit?“_

„Who knows...“ Will says vaguely. How much is it going to hurt? Sitting next to Adrian at the dinner table, knowing they won‘t be sharing the bed? Knowing they won‘t ever again? „Could you promise me something? Just be safe, okay? Promise you‘ll use protection. Always.“

„ _And you better promise that too. No dick is worth dying for, am I right?“_

„Right. I think I‘m gonna... I‘m gonna have to call my mom now. Do you have anyone to talk to?“

„ _I guess I could call Mel...“_ Adrian says. _„Yeah. I‘m going to. Be safe out there, Will.“_

„You too. I-“ But Will cuts himself off there. _Why can‘t he say it anymore?_ How many phone calls did they end with _I love you_? It‘s not any less true now than it was a week ago. But Will can not say it. And Adrian can‘t either. Instead they say _„Goodbye.“_ , and then they hang up without even a single round of _you hang up first_.

For a while Will remains by the phone, contemplating, stiff as a board. He doesn‘t really want to call his mom right now. He might as well do it tomorrow, because he knows his voice would fail him after a minute if he tried now. Once that is decided, he drags himself to his bedroom, drops his jeans on the floor and crawls under the blanket.

Outside the thunderstorm is still raging, the sky having darkened even more. This isn‘t the kind of weather Will would usually enjoy during spring. But it is the right kind for breakups and heartbreak, because at least the sun isn‘t out to make fun of his pain.

It‘s a tearing sensation deep in his chest. It hurts in a way he can‘t even describe, constantly pulling his entire body apart. Maybe that is the price you pay for such a long first relationship? Many people go through this earlier in their lives, with less serious romances. So should he envy them?

Right now he does, however stupid that might be. And just knowing that the pain won‘t last forever doesn‘t help at all. Right now it‘s there. Right now it hurts.

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you are really invested in this series, you may use the comments as a vent. Now, anyone who has read this series for so long should know that there is going to be a happy ending. It's not a secret, so it's not really a spoiler. But people and relationships aren't perfect, and sometimes shit happens.  
> <3


End file.
